External Relations Specialist

The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).

Seven years since over 700,000 Rohingya from Myanmar fled to Bangladesh, nearly one million Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh, mostly in Cox’s Bazar, in the world’s largest refugee settlement, and some 35,000 on the island of Bhasan Char. As the humanitarian condition in camps worsens, this crisis officially became a protracted situation, facing steep decline in funds and forcing humanitarian actors to focus on the most critical and life-saving needs.

In a context of strategic advocacy towards donors, civil society, media and academia, the External Relations Specialist will be part of the Dhaka-based External Relations team, which works closely other members of the team in Cox’s Bazar, and in close coordination with the Communication team in both locations.

The incumbent is expected to work on and assist in various external relations activities, including preparing communication and outreach materials for external audiences, as well donor reports or funding briefs. The incumbent will plan and organize activities to increase UNHCR’s outreach capacity, engage with a range of external stakeholders and entities to present UNHCR’s work.

While based in Dhaka, s/he is expected to regularly travel to Cox’s Bazar, to support and coordinate with relevant actors for potential donor visits, high-visibility or important missions.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior External Relations Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Keep abreast all developments in operations to prepare appropriate briefings and reports.
Prepare periodic reports, i.e., donor updates, internal sitreps, briefing notes for senior managers, and activity-specific reports as required.
• Support in developing and maintaining relationship with donors and key stakeholders, preparing funding submissions for donors and any required after-action reports.
• Contribute to developing and maintaining working relationships with the government, NGOs, and UN agencies to ensure cooperation in inter-related activities.
• Support UNHCR in its coordinating role by preparing and distributing minutes, assisting in the organization of meetings; occasionally chairing meetings, and serving as the general secretariat for the relevant Cluster.
• Support the senior management in preparation for meetings and missions, drafting of talking points.
• Support the team in organizing and accompanying missions for VIP visitors, delegates to visit refugee sites or the activities of UNHCR implementing partners.
• Support the Public Information (PI) team in country, notably by contributing to press events, interviews, PI missions and other activities related to information dissemination to the general public to promote UNHCR activities.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.